


You Don't Really Want to Stay

by polandspringz



Series: Hot and Cold [2]
Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Bullying, F/M, Gen, Gender-Neutral Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hurt/Comfort, Lesson 16 (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!) Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29192898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polandspringz/pseuds/polandspringz
Summary: It had been two weeks. Two weeks of this hell that he deserved but it was still hell. He had been thinking about how long he should let it stretch on for, since he could easily stop all the demons targeting him. Two weeks, and he had been back for three months now, and if you counted back the few days just after everything got squared away even though he had killed MC and tossed their corpse down the stairs for everyone to see-Two little demons overheard the Prince and his steward talking, and now the whole school knows. Belphegor is just being educated on how many demons disapprove of the news that the nice exchange-student died once.
Relationships: Beelzebub & Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Series: Hot and Cold [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897852
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	You Don't Really Want to Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I would like to start off by saying thank you to everyone who read "Cause You Don't Really Want to Go"! It was my first story for OM, and over the past year has become my most popular story ever and I am so happy to see my writing go so far. I started this "sequel" shortly after the release of the first story's epilogue, as the idea was delivered to me in a dream, but I ended up working on other fics for a few months so I finally sat down and finished chapter 1 today! I want to thank my beta-reader, [CrystalQueer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalQueer) as they have been helping me hash out ideas and vice versa. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!!

_“I haven’t forgiven you just yet.”_

Belphegor’s head lolled back against the wall as another punch to the cheek nailed his skull to it. He felt blood dribble down his cupid bow and tease at his lip, and it made his face scrunch up. The demon who was standing over him snickered and fisted the collar of his shirt, tugging him back up the wall so they were eye height with one another.

His breath was rancid and his fangs were all a sickly yellow. Belphegor rolled his eyes and brought his hands up to push the other away, easily doing so as it was just a lower level demon. He started to walk off, listening faintly to the shuffling of the demon and his friend as they got ready to follow after him. Belphegor summoned his horns and tail and turned around to flash his own teeth at them with a hiss.

_“Don’t.”_

He had given them their fun, but he had grown tired of taking their hits, at least for today. It had been over two weeks of this shit, and he knew he would need one break or else he would end up unconscious after the next demon cornered him to give him a piece of their mind.

Slinking his way through one of the more desolate, older wings of R.A.D., Belphegor found an unlocked classroom and slipped inside. His fingers traced along each dusty row of desks as he walked to the back corner of the room, sniffling as he felt the blood dribble over his lips finally as the bleed began to pour out of his nose. Slowly lowering himself to the ground so he could turn around and lean against the heater by the window, he cupped one hand under his chin while another fished around in his pocket for a handkerchief. He could easily trash a stained rag, having stained clothes was another matter entirely.

He roughly scrubbed his nose clean with the white rag and stuck his tongue out in disgust when he saw the red-orange streaks mixed with his snot all over the cloth. It was like someone had painted on it with a dry brush. He pinched a piece of it and carefully set it down in a trashcan a few feet away.

It was then that Belphegor tossed his head back and sighed.

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of this hell that he deserved but it was still hell. He had been thinking about how long he should let it stretch on for, since he could easily stop all the demons targeting him. Two weeks, and he had been back for three months now, and if you counted back the few days just after everything got squared away even though he had killed MC and tossed their corpse down the stairs for everyone to see-

Belphegor shut his eyes and slumped further back against the heater, soaking up what little heat came from the old thing. It was so cold in this wing, and although Belphegor was the Avatar of Sloth, the cold made him as lethargic as anyone else. The blood loss and pounding headache probably didn’t help either, but both of those would be solved with a quick nap. It was twelve now, so if he skipped the rest of classes, Lucifer would definitely scold him, but it would be enough time for his broken nose and bruised cheek to heal up before he had to see anyone again.

He just wished he had his pillow.

Wrapping his arms around himself, Belphegor shuffled down so his head was leaning back against the heater as his body melted into the floor. Stretching his legs out, he gave a yawn before he let himself drift into slumber. Hopefully no one would find him before the end of the day, and he could avoid another injury that would be more difficult to hide.

* * *

_“I trusted you.”_

_“How could you do this to me?”_

_“Belphegor…”_

_“Belphie, it hurts- ack… Belphie, stop!”_

_“Belphegor.”_

“Belphegor?”

He snapped awake when he heard their voice. He had been in a listless sleep, a murky state of half-wakefulness that was full of dreams yet he could remember none of them. The only lingering thought from his stasis was a cough that sounded like someone choking. It was wet and panicked, and his mind was able to conjure up enough to reason it sounded like the voice was wet from blood.

Sadly, he had heard that sound before in real life, and so it was something he was able to identify clearly. He couldn’t recall a time before that sound plaguing his dreams when he had woken from a nap feeling so unrested. He was the king of sleep, the demon that _gave_ people nightmares and fits of paralysis, he wasn’t made to be someone who suffered from them.

He hadn’t had dreams like this since Lilith died.

“How did you know I would be here?” He asked, his eyes continuing to trace along the ground. He saw them fidgeting, their knees swayed. One of their socks had fallen down and was bunched up above the lip of their shoe awkwardly. He smiled slightly at that, reaching out to fix it-

_His muscles groaned in pain._

He had slept enough for any of the physical injuries to heal, but not enough for the deeper pain to subside. He would have to work on that when he got home. Then again, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be sleeping at home, in a bed, or at least on some comfortable surface and not alone in some abandoned classroom-

“I figured you were sneaking off somewhere so Lucifer wouldn’t yell at you if he found out you were skipping. I texted Beel, so he should be here in a few minutes. Do you want him to carry you?”

They didn’t even flinch as he messed with their sock. They must have long since grown used to his little ministrations, his strange ways of showing affection. His brothers were more clingy with them- Mammon and Levi practically always hanging off or tugging on one of their arms, Satan would pile their hands up with books he _insisted_ they read, Asmo swept them away for beauty or shopping days, and Beel would scoop them up when he caught them falling asleep and carry them to their room. Even Lucifer had a possessive streak when it came to them, which somehow was still endearing to MC even though Lucifer went about showing it with his stick-up-his-ass ways.

Belphegor always watched how MC smiled despite how emotionally constipated Lucifer acted, his brow furrowing as he refused to admit what he was obviously feeling. Yet, somehow their smile managed to break him, get the eldest’s shoulders to relax and all the anger and frustration left him as they coaxed him to the music room, and soon the piano would drift around the house, sending everyone into a dance as Belphegor stood where he had been left.

He was always standing there.

He was always watching.

He was always _left_ watching.

He didn’t know how to get close to them. He had been welcomed into a pact, but he hadn’t been forgiven. He had been welcomed home, but his feet stained the front door’s mat with the blood of his mistakes. He didn’t deserve to touch them. He didn’t deserve to be near them.

But he craved it.

Their shoe was untied too.

His fingers nimbly worked to right it.

“Belphegor, are you listening to me?” They sighed and stomped their other foot, “Oh, thank you. But you didn’t have to. Come on, stand up, you shouldn’t be on the floor, it's dusty and gross.”

They grabbed him around the forearms, tugging him up. His legs were shaking. Hopefully they would chock it up to him still being sleepy.

Warmth bled through the layers of sleeve as they helped him steady himself, and when they pulled away, the warmth lingered. Their hands were bare, but they did not touch his skin. He didn’t dare touch theirs. Last time that happened-

He shook the thoughts out of his head and smiled as he gasped for breath with a little laugh. They were fiddling with the button on his cuff that was hanging by a thread. His ears still felt like they were stuffed with cotton balls. He was making them pout now. A shame.

“We’ll have to fix this when we get home. Beel is going to set up the movie in my room, and I am going to get the food.”

“Good idea,” he said as they continued to roll the button around in between their fingers, “If it was the other way around, Beel might get stuck in the kitchen for an eternity.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope he didn’t get sidetracked on the way here,” their hands settled on their hips and they huffed, “I definitely won’t be able to carry you.”

_Because you don’t want to touch me._

“I mean, I can walk. It’s not too far to get home.”

_Beel probably doesn’t want to touch me after what I did anyway._

They quirked their eyebrow at him, “Are you feeling alright? You _want_ to walk?”

“Look let’s just…” he sighed, “Let’s just get going now. The sooner we start the sooner I get home and the sooner I can sleep without you interrupting me.”

His voice devolved into a small growl as he began to walk past them. His legs were heavy with soreness, and it took all his energy to suppress the urge to limp and turn it into what he hoped was a nonchalant shuffle. He was under the arch of the doorway when he smacked into something hard. Large hands came up to stabilize him before he fell backwards, and just as he realized who it was, the hands were gone.

“Oh, Beel, good thing you’re here. Belphie seems to be a little out of it, can you carry him?”

“Yeah, hold on-”

His head was reeling from the impact still. _Geez, how jacked is Beel? I feel like there’s a dent now…_ As he pulled his hand away from his forehead, the blurry hand was replaced by Beel’s form suddenly breaking into focus, and then Belphegor’s world was tilting.

“Woah, wait, put me down-!” He pushed against Beel’s shoulder before he could fully lift him into his arms, “I said I’ll walk!”

“Belphie?”

_Shit,_ he averted his gaze from his twin’s sad puppy eyes, _I offended him._

“You never like walking.”

“Sorry, Beel, you just startled me is all. I just woke up a few seconds ago.”

He didn’t miss the look the two in the room shared over his head. He really didn’t want to be carried, to be _coddled._ He didn’t deserve it, and he didn’t want people pretending like they cared about him or wanted to touch him. Even if his wounds had healed, he was still sweaty, and there were probably some flakes of blood around his nose if anyone looked too closely. Still…

This was _Beel_ who he had just shrugged off. If he didn’t resolve this now, then he knew Beel would just bottle it up inside, and every time he shrugged him off after would add up until he would have to deal with his brother being almost inconsolable. Beel was always shouldering the weight of everyone’s emotions, even if they didn’t ask him to. He was sensitive, and always prone to feeling guilty at the slightest wrong step. Even though everyone knew he couldn’t help his appetite, Belphegor knew how deep down he was embarrassed and disliked that part of himself.

_Although, since MC had arrived, it seemed his cravings had almost vanished._

_Still,_ a small smile crept onto Belphegor’s face as he heard a small grumble erupt from his brother’s stomach. _I don’t think we’ll ever stop teasing him or making jokes about it._

He sighed and let his body relax. It felt good to let his guard down, even if it was only briefly, “Alright then. I was gonna walk because it’s faster, but since we’re wasting so much time here in shock that I want to do that, I _suppose_ you can carry me. I just wanna get back to my nap. Preferably in a real bed.”

Beel immediately reached forward and resumed scooping Belphie into his arms, “I’ll fly us back. We’ll be home in no time.”

“Good. I’m tired, and my muscles hurt from sleeping in this crummy classroom.”

“MC, are you coming?”

“Yeah. I’ll hop on somewhere,” is what they said, but Belphie felt the world spin again behind his eyelids as Beel immediately tossed him over his shoulder instead, making room for MC to climb in the cradle of his arms, “Why’d you choose it then?”

“Because, it was quiet and I knew Lucifer wouldn’t find me.”

“Hm. Well, I guess that’s the tradeoff if you really wanna avoid Lucifer that badly. Discomfort.”

He shut his eyes, “Just get us home already, Beel.”

“On it. I have to get out of the building first.”

Beelzebub’s heavy steps swayed them back and forth, and slowly rocked Belphie back into sleep. He trusted that his brother wouldn’t drop him and that he didn’t need to hang on too much, so he simply let his weight hang, his mind drift, and for a moment he chased away the guilty thoughts that had been suffocating him all afternoon.

* * *

“I think someone has been hurting Belphie.”

“Me too,” MC mumbled.

The three of them were sprawled across MC’s bed, all of them decided their eyes hurt too much to watch the second one in the collection, and decided to lie down instead. Although it was small, MC had dealt with sharing their sleeping space with multiple demons before, sometimes three of the brothers clamoured in at time, so even with Beel’s gigantic form, there was room for Belphie on their other side. The demon showed no interest in their offer, however, and instead curled up at the foot of the bed, seeming to do everything in his power to take up as little space as possible.

Beel was spooning MC, his arms wrapped loosely around them as MC shuffled back closer to his warmth. Coldness seeped from the empty space between the wall and them, and while Beel peeked over their shoulder, both of their eyes lingered on the void of where they knew _something, someone_ should be.

“I can sense it. He’s acting different, slower-”

“I know. He’s been avoiding me more. I thought we were getting better with each other but,” they sighed, “We’ll have to wait for him to tell us, I guess.”

“I don’t like not knowing,” Beel’s deep rumble stuttered, and MC reached a hand up to run through his hair reassuringly. His voice broke with fear, “He always comes to me. I always come to him… Why won’t he tell me what’s wrong?”

“He’s been through a lot, Beel. I’m sure more than we know.”

“We’ve all been through a lot. We all still talk to each other.”

“Being locked up can do that to you. He was in the attic alone for almost an entire year, you learn to keep things to yourself, I’m sure. Besides, remember how you all acted when he was finally back?”

“Well, that was because…” Beel went silent, his arms tightening around MC as he tucked himself against them further. He was strong, but he knew not to use his full strength, although he wished he could because as the memories came back, it felt like the only way to stop the flooding images of _blood, of Mammon’s crying, MC’s twitching corpse, of his twin’s **laughter-**_

****

MC turned around in his hold and curled their body around Beelzebub, his head pressed against their chest as his body trembled.

“I know, I know,” they whispered, “Hush, hush. I’ll keep the nightmares away.”

_That’s not your job,_ Beel wanted to mutter, but the shadows of the room were so strong that they were twisting around his thoughts. _That was Belphie’s job, but something’s wrong with him and he’s acting strange and I don’t know why he doesn’t want to be around me and I’m-_

“I’m scared he’s going to go away again.”

“He won’t, he’s right here,” MC moved their arm so Beel could look down the bed towards where Belphie slept. Their hand brushed across the youngest’s head, brushing his bangs back delicately so as to not disturb him _(God knows he needed his rest)_ but just enough that his brother could see his closed eyes, “See? He’s not hurting right now. He’s with us, and he’s safe.”

“He should be _here,_ though."

Beel’s hand twisted knots in the fabric on MC’s back. They were silent then, MC only nodded before resting their head atop of his as they hugged each other impossibly tighter. Words wouldn’t do the trick at convincing either of them anymore.

The shadows in the space between the wall and them were getting impossibly louder.

* * *

Belphegor woke up with a headache.

He pushed himself up so his legs were off the bed, careful to not jostle the two sleeping at the head of the bed. He smoothed his palm over the texture of the sheets just beneath their feet, the weave of the fabric wrinkled by their legs struggling to intertwine during the night.

The room was cold.

Belphegor was careful to close the door quietly on his way out.

* * *

  
Walking through the halls of the House of Lamentation stirred up the hollow pit that had been festering inside him all day. The windows of the upstairs hallway cast the world in gray, the rays of the moon at their weakest while the darkness of the sky was an ominous, suffocating black. Tinges of navy flecked out from around the artificial stars, but Belphegor was familiar with this phase of the night. They had fallen asleep in the evening afterschool, and the color of the fake sky signaled that, if one was going by the human clock’s measurements, around one in the morning.

But it wasn’t quite morning, was it? It was too early to stay up to watch the sunrise, too late to consider it the blissful time of night, times both normally awash with warm golden glows of the candles of the house and his family’s laughter through the halls. Either way, they had missed dinner and-

_Oh god, they had missed dinner._

The thought was like a stabbing pain in his chest, causing him to stall in the middle of the hall. He thought back to MC’s bedroom, he had smelled no lingering scent of dinner or any meal other than the junk food they had been eating during the film that Belphie didn’t bother remembering the name of, which meant that _Beel missed dinner._ Beel never missed dinner. Was he alright? Was dinner even served? Did anyone even bother to wake him up to begin with?

Belphegor’s hands slowly came up to his face, his sweaty palms roughly rubbing over his skin as he looked through the cracks in his fingers at the ray of light cast on the carpet in front of him. Two dueling thoughts were battling within his mind, questions of _is it my fault that Beel lost his appetite? Did he sense something was wrong and become worried? The last time he was like that-_ crossed with _how long have they been asleep for? Did someone come to wake them up and failed? Were they asleep or were they dead? In my sleep did I accidentally-_

_It’s all my fault._

Both thoughts collided into a singularity despite them continuing to rush and spin out of control on either sides of his head. _The last time Beel lost his appetite was when I killed MC. Did I kill them again?_ Did I lose control of my power and accidentally hurt the both of them? Were they breathing when I left? _Did I kill Beel-_

He lifted his eyes through the cracks in his fingers. There was a figure at the end of the hall, in the alcove near the stairs to the attic. Against the dark doors, surrounded by walls outside of the windows’ reach, their silhouette vibrated with energy. They were smiling at Belphegor, their tail lashing as they got ready to pounce on him.

_They were coming for him. They were coming to kill him for what he had done. He had killed them, he had killed his brother and the human twice. He deserved this. He deserved to be killed. An eye for an eye-_

Belphegor’s breathing stuttered as his hands fell from his face and he straightened up. He continued to look down the hall. Everytime he blinked, the figure glitched, appearing and disappearing. He was tired. He was tired and he knew what it was but-

“You’re not real,” he muttered, “You can’t hurt me. I control you, I eat things like you-”

**_“Ẏ̸̭̘̠̾̊̑o̷̭͝ụ̷̧̆ ̴̡̠͔̓͘ͅe̶̥̟̅a̶̧̧͎̒ṭ̷̨̼͂ ̵̮̹̊t̸͖̭͉̅̔͘h̵̺̪̎i̶̧̹̠̗̽̂̈́̌n̶͓̔͊͋̎g̵̩̖͎̜̎͊s̶͍͈̈͗̒͌ ̵̅͐͜l̷͓̍̅̍̄į̷̻͓̄̐̑̾k̴͓̤̯͐̂͊͘e̷̘͌ ̸̦̣͗͊͑m̷̧̨͈͔̈́̉e̸̺̼͗,̸̮̖̠̙̈͌”_** the thing mocked, **_“Therefore I am inside of you. You can’t escape me.”_**

****

Belphegor clutched his chest and began to hyperventilate. The figure was gone. It was there. It was close. It was against the wall. Hanging upside down. It had horns and it’s tail was around it’s throat. It was at the top of the stairs.

Then it collapsed limply at the bottom, it’s intangible, glitched-out, gray blurred form limbless yet it appeared to the eye as if it had arms and legs. They were rearranged. They were broken. There were bones sticking out of them. There was a puddle on the floor. It was smiling.

It was silent.

**“G O B A C K T O B E D.”**

****

Belphegor snarled as the tail was suddenly choking him out, the thing on his shoulders as it clawed at his eyeballs, laughing maniacally as it sat, tangling him into a dance for air. He transformed, horns curling out along with his claws as he reached up and slashed back at it, yanking it off and slamming it into the ground before he lunged for the throat-

The thing collapsed into nothing. A shadow shot out from under his hands and flew towards the stairs. Belphegor ran after it. His hand gripped the banister as he came to an abrupt stop before the first step down, biting his lip with a hiss as he tried to look away at what was at the bottom.

_It had taken on **their** shape again._

His horns and tail burned where they protruded from his skin, and like he had been lashed he fell to his knees.

With a gasp, Belphegor came back to himself. His hands fell away from his face, shaking as he pushed himself up. He was in the middle of the hall on the second floor. The sky was still dark. The alcove at the end was dark. There was nothing there.

But there was _something_ dark in the shadows, an energy that sent an electric shock of fear through his heart and hatred pumping through his veins. His throat was dry, but his mouth was salivating with the taste of bile as his stomach churned. He gasped, his chest seizing up, and then he ran.

He ran back the other way, to the other stairwell he had come, dashing down the steps as he covered his eyes from the things in the dark. Like a child fearful of the shadows on their heels, he kicked up his feet and trusted the naive thought that if he just got back to a bed, under the covers and shut his eyes, everything would go away, and he would be safe, and protected.

The door slammed behind him as he burst back into the first-floor bedroom. His eyes darted around the grayed out space, seeing the two figures on the bed still entangled as one, their bodies illuminated by the sliver of light coming from the window to the gardens outside. Belphegor was pressed against the cold, lifeless wood of the door, his hands flat against it as he tried to catch his breath. He flinched away when he thought above how close his fingers were to the crack around the doorframe, how that monster outside could slither inside like smoke and asphyxiate him again. It could asphyxiate all of them, he thought with a panic, eyes searching for something he could stuff around the doorframe. _Tape? Pillows?_ He slid down to the floor and brought his nails to his mouth, biting on them with eyes blown wide before his thoughts came back to him and more panic overtook him.

The first thought he had caused him to crawl frantically back towards the bed, checking on the sleeping figures to make sure they were just that- _sleeping._ He caught sight of their bodies rising and falling with every contraction of their muscles as they breathed, and _he breathed_ a sigh of relief at that, fears assuaged. He fell back away from the bed, his fingers sliding off their skin where he had reached out to check their pulse. They were okay, they were safe. Nothing had hurt them.

Belphegor’s eyes looked at the ground as he slumped against the bed frame. His chest was still strange, the adrenaline had yet to wear off but there was nothing left to be scared of. So why was the empty feeling inside his chest not going away?

_Oh._

The revelation dawned on him quickly as he watched the shadow slide from under the bed, circles spinning around him on the floor below as it sucked him below.

**_I̶̻͕͉͍̋͂̉̆͝t̵̪͕̽͒̃̑͠’̴̟̙̮̮̜͖̱̿̽̿s̸͓̻͈͙̼̄̈́̈̏̓͒̍͠ ̸͉̳̽͆͋͒͝b̸̥̪̝̅e̴͍̭͋̽͝ç̸͖̲̽ą̷̡̫͉̊͋̇̊ǘ̶͙͔̱̖͈̽͌͋̑͑̌̽s̵̨̰̺͍̥̬̭͇̈̉̔e̷̻̻̹ ̵̖͉̖̺̀̅o̵͖̹̝̓̋f̶̤̪̭̐͒͐͠ ̵̹̮̟̜͚̣̐̑̓̉͆̚ỵ̴̣̅̂ȍ̷͙͉̉̽̃̿̈̅̂u̵̞̥̯̫͓̠͆͛͌͒͂.̷̖̬̓̅̔̅̅_ **

****

_It’s because of me._

He left the room again, retracing his steps up the back stairwell towards the second floor’s hall. His feet shuffled against the red carpet, he crossed over the balcony in the entranceway to the other side of the mansion, and then stopped in the spot he had been in before.

He stared into the taunting abyss.

**_Go back to where you belong… Belphegor. Back to the ̵̲̲̐̊̐a̷̞̐̿̒t̵̡̘̆͒t̵̫̏̀̓i̴͖̫͊͆͜͝c̶̫͕̃̋͛.̴̡͕̱̗̔_ **

**_L̶̻͚̪͊ơ̴̡͔͍̙̓̑c̸̡̹͇͇̀͆̾ḵ̷̛̾̐͌e̷͓͍̠̍̃͜͝d̵̩̖͍̓̑ ̴̰͇̠̊̋͛u̶̼̪͈̍̔̑̂ͅp̵̯̙͂̌͠…̶̰̅͐̚̚ ̷̻̯͛̋̚͝L̵̛͙̰͉͙̐̈o̸̢̔c̵̛͖̖͕k̶͙̆̚e̶̝̥̟͉͐͛͒ḑ̵̼̦͐̚͜ ̸͎̽̇ů̵̼p̷̛̫̳̓̈́.̷͎̭̑̆̋̋.̴͕̱̍̅̊.̷̧̏͐ͅ_ **

**_You mad man-_ **

****

**_L̶̻͚̪͊ơ̴̡͔͍̙̓̑c̸̡̹͇͇̀͆̾ḵ̷̛̾̐͌e̷͓͍̠̍̃͜͝d̵̩̖͍̓̑ ̴̰͇̠̊̋͛u̶̼̪͈̍̔̑̂ͅp̵̯̙͂̌͠…̶̰̅͐̚̚ ̷̻̯͛̋̚͝L̵̛͙̰͉͙̐̈o̸̢̔c̵̛͖̖͕k̶͙̆̚e̶̝̥̟͉͐͛͒ḑ̵̼̦͐̚͜ ̸͎̽̇ů̵̼p̷̛̫̳̓̈́.̷͎̭̑̆̋̋.̴͕̱̍̅̊.̷̧̏͐ͅ_ **

****

**_Go to the ä̷̬̰̝́̚t̵̢̼̾t̶̠̝̮̼͌̈́̋̕i̷̪̹̲͌͂́c̴̣͖̙̊ before you hurt anyone again._ **

****

**_Go to the ä̷̬̰̝́̚t̵̢̼̾t̶̠̝̮̼͌̈́̋̕i̷̪̹̲͌͂́c̴̣͖̙̊ before you make your ḇ̶̎r̷̟̺̠̈̀͋̈ǭ̷͙͕͓͑ẗ̷̝̗͓̹́̈h̵͉̞̱̍̕e̷̢̻̬͋͊͛r̸̰̄s̷̠̅ drag you back there themselves._ **

****

**_Go back, Belphegor._ **

****

**_Go back to where you belong._ **

****

**_L̶̻͚̪͊ơ̴̡͔͍̙̓̑c̸̡̹͇͇̀͆̾ḵ̷̛̾̐͌e̷͓͍̠̍̃͜͝d̵̩̖͍̓̑ ̴̰͇̠̊̋͛u̶̼̪͈̍̔̑̂ͅp̵̯̙͂̌͠…̶̰̅͐̚̚ ̷̻̯͛̋̚͝L̷̼̾o̸̙̒c̸̰͌k̵̜̅é̵̢d̵̲́ ̸̜́ŭ̶͜p̶͇̄…̴̫͝ Locked up…_ **

Like a metronome, the voice spoke. It was behind him. It was in the shadows pulling his feet, urging him forward. It was in front by the stairwell beyond the door down the hall. It was hanging like a bat from the ceiling. It was in all four corners of the world, every wall in the house alive with singing as the paintings joined on the whispers.

It was inside of him, hammering inside his head the hardest. It was screaming to get out. It was trying to get out so it could kill. It was banging against the sides, trying to crawl out his ears. It was screaming that it wanted to kill them, it wanted to kill everyone, it wanted-

His lips trembled in the thin line he struggled to hold them in, and he looked down past his hand fisted against his chest, down at the shadow at his feet.

“I… need to be locked up…”

He let himself be moved forward, into the space where the walls closed in, and the door to the attic stairs towered before him. Hands crawled out of the mist and each grabbed a patch of skin, wrapping around him as they guided his fingers towards the doorknob.

For a moment, he looked back. Down towards the other end of the hall, towards the windows and towards where the hall became the balcony and back towards where he knew everyone else in the house was sleeping.

_He wanted to go back…_

_But it was better this way._

He raised his free hand to his lips, and blew a wish their way. It flew into the bedroom, where a foggy vestige formed and pressed a kiss to both of their foreheads, granting them each with a sweet dream. The ghost then blew away like sand, scattering to the floor before rolling back up into a breeze that returned to his hand. His fingers closed around nothing before they fell through.

**_L̶̻͚̪͊ơ̴̡͔͍̙̓̑c̸̡̹͇͇̀͆̾ḵ̷̛̾̐͌e̷͓͍̠̍̃͜͝d̵̩̖͍̓̑ ̴̰͇̠̊̋͛u̶̼̪͈̍̔̑̂ͅp̵̯̙͂̌͠…̶̰̅͐̚̚ ̷̻̯͛̋̚͝L̵̛͙̰͉͙̐̈o̸̢̔c̵̛͖̖͕k̶͙̆̚e̶̝̥̟͉͐͛͒ḑ̵̼̦͐̚͜ ̸͎̽̇ů̵̼p̷̛̫̳̓̈́.̷͎̭̑̆̋̋.̴͕̱̍̅̊.̷̧̏͐ͅ_ **

****

If only he could have felt it too.

The doorknob turned, and the lock clicked open. And with that, Belphegor turned and walked through into the mist.

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell I played Omori? I'm kidding, this entire story was planned in October 2020 as I had a dream about MC and the twins with the vaguest memory of something "bad" having happened to Belphie. However, it's hard to deny that I didn't take inspiration from that game since I wrote this while hashing ideas out for my beta-reader's Omori fic, which you should check out [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29070927/chapters/71358222) There are a lot of similarities between Belphegor and Omori, I realized as I finished this up. This is a sequel to my Mammon fic, but loosely, as it is just meant to be an event taking place after that story with a focus on a different brother. It likely won't be as long, but despite that, I hope no one is disappointed with this story when it's done! Thank you for reading.


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